Jones to discuss draft Monday

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gives a thumbs up to Memphis safety Akeem Davis (19) and Louisiana-Lafayette safety Melvin White as they prepare to run drills during the NFL super regional football scouting combine, April 8, 2013, in Arlington. (Associated Press)

The Dallas Cowboys’ annual pre-draft news conference is set for 1 p.m. today at Valley Ranch.

Owner/general manager Jerry Jones will sit front and center. His son, executive vice president Stephen Jones; coach Jason Garrett; and assistant director of player personnel Tom Ciskowski, could also be on hand.

The Cowboys select 18th in the first round and have five other picks. Their biggest needs are along the offensive and defensive lines and at safety.

The draft, which will be held Thursday through Saturday, is important to Dallas because salary cap woes prevented it from doing much in free agency.

Although many observers expect the Cowboys to use their first pick on an offensive lineman, the club could be focused on finding an defensive tackle to become the Warren Sapp-like cornerstone of new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin’s 4-3 Cover 2 scheme.

One such prospect is Missouri’s Sheldon Richardon, who at 6-foot-2, 294-pound is strong enough to clog up running lanes and athletic enough to disrupt the pocket.